Last post of November

So I'm coming to the end of the month. I tried really hard this month to blog as much as I could. My best ever was 29 in one month and I wanted to improve on that. I ha e to admit it wasn't easy! Some days I found it hard but a challenge is a challenge. Plus I've had a busy month with the new kitchen work going on.
I did it I put over 30 posts live so  beating my best score ever! I don't think I'm going for anymore than that lol

My Three New Blogs

The blog prompt for the 29th Novemeber is three blogs you have found recently. I spend ages reading lots of blogs but my three are

!. Lou's Lake Views

This is a very lovely blog which is beautiful in its style and words. Its a story of a UK family who have moved to Cananda and its a great read. Lou also takes and uses some fab picture. Well worth checking it

2.podcastdove

 I only found this blog just this week but I really enjoyed reading it and also linking up in the blog hop. It is so great when you find a blog you can really take part with and enjoy

3. I have to give my last slot to Nowtspecial. and I am very glad I did. I only got in on the month of blog prompts in the last couple of days. I really enjoyed it a lot and will be coming back often

What Do You Do?

I was sitting thinking it was very late or very early and I should go to bed, when I came across a really great idea. Sadly I came across it at the end of its run, but it was to post about a set subject every day.
The prompt for the 28th was over at nowspecial and the subject was " Do you ever voluntarily do what you could get paid for", a good question I thought.

I got  into cake decorating last year. When you children were small I used to make their cakes, but they were very simple . I always thought it would be nice to learn more , so I took my chance and made a start.
I thought at first I had no chance as I did not seem to have the natural ability to do them. I did not give up and managed to get through my level one and then thought I would go onto level two. I just into that I have learnt so much.

The problem is I get asked for more and more cakes now. I often make them for free and I really don't think people really know how much they cost. An average two tier would cost anyway between £250-300 and I have many this size for nothing at all.
I don't mind if it is for family or I choose to make it a gift. It does however make me cross if you try to explain costs and people change their mind. Cakes cost a lot of money to make. The ingredients , the board the box, the icing it goes on. That does not include the electricity or my time to make them.

Saying all that I do love to give someone a cake and see the joy it brings them. I love to see them smile and I have to be big headed and say its great when someone says "ooo did you make that", it makes it all worth while.
So I would love to get paid fairly in the future, but knowing me I will still make for loved ones whatever the cost.
A few of my cakes

Happy days

I thought it was a lovely idea to once a week be happy and have a reason to be cheerful. So I have some.

1.My niece Emma over at The syders told me she was starting slimming club, called Slimming World. They had a special offer on so I had a think and thought that I would join as well. Many years ago I was slimming leader so I knew the diet worked. If she had not been going I would have thought about not bothering . So I am very grateful to her for giving me the idea.



2. Following on from the above, I lost 3 pounds yay me, as i am taking steroids and i was worried.Emma also lost weight so Im very gratful for both of us.


3. My kitchen is getting down so I am gratful to my hubbie for all his work to make it lovely. Still a long way to go but I can see light.

4.I am also really happy I have a fab family which makes me cheerful everyday. Today is my sons 32nd birthday. He's grown into a lovely man and we are so proud of everything he has achieved . Love you Matthew .

The Gallery :November

This looks like a December picture but it is in fact November. I thought I would  have a go at a stall at a Christmas's market. So I sewed and sewed for months . Everything on the stall was made by me and boy it was hard work to make that much stuff. On the day I was rather nervous because I was worried my things would look too home made next to other peoples things. I did not have to worry at all because my things got lots of attention and people loved it/

It was very hard work and very cold, and if my wonderful children Matthew and Natalie , daughter in law Karen ( in the picture) and hubbie Kevin, I could not have done it. I may not do it again lol but it was a lovely fun day

Father and Daughters

I was born in 1958 so men's roles were much different than today. My dad was not at the birth but this was normal for them. My dad was the one to name me, a surprise even to mum. He came home and told her he had registered  my name! She was so shocked and asked why he had done that without asking her. He said he was driving his truck , when a voice said , call her Gillian. I have to add at this point dad was not mad lol. So he did just that! Mum was a bit put out as she wanted to call me Susan.

Over the years I have to say he was a good dad , but not one I saw often. He worked very hard and left early in the morning. He didn't get home till late , had his tea and would fall asleep. He never had time off for sickness ever. He loved the heat and so holidays for us were in two parts. For dad it would be Spain . He love to sit and roast in the sun, and would be chocolate brown in seconds. My parents saved and saved to have a week in Spain every year, from when I was seven. My mum enjoyed it, but like me she would get bored just sitting. She much preferred Cornwall and I do agree.

This is a picture of me and my dad in Spain. Dad doing his favourite thing in the world , sitting in the sun . We do look happy I think lol. Below is a picture of my mum on the same holiday. Notice her hat lol a way of keeping the sun off.

.We always had great holidays and lots of fun. My dad was a good dad and it must have been very hard for him to miss our so much of my growing -up. He never ever lost his temper or got angry and was always very calm. He pasted away a few years ago and the last few years of his life was not easy. We lost my mum at the very young age of 64 and the stress of caring for her and her passing away so young, put lots of stress on him. I hope he knew I loved him and I wish I had been able to spend more time with him. I have such happy holiday memories to keep him and my mum in my heart.

Looking back

I was sitting thinking about my blog and what to chat about today.  I thought it would be fun to look back to when I first started.  It was 2010 and I was such a novice. I really had no idea. Lucky my niece Emma from  The syders. , who is a great writer and blogger helped me get started. I have to be honest I really did not think I could carry it on. I really thought that no one would want to read anything that a woman like me had to say.
I have older children who have their own lives and I am not living a huge interesting life myself.
I thought I owed it to Emma to try and so off I went. Once my son helped me design my header, I had an identity and Jollyjillys was really alive.

I can't say I have not made mistakes and I still have, and will I am sure. In general fellow bloggers are kind and helpful, but I have had those that do not have patience which is a shame. We all need to learn and I would be honoured if I could help a fellow blogger in anyway. I am still learning all the time.
In general I have met some really nice people, and I can say blogging has opened out my world which has got to be good.

I looked back and re read some of my early blog post. It was funny how short and lacking in information, or me opening up in general they were. I think that was mainly because I had no idea what I was doing lol.
Some days when I sit down to write I still think "What am I doing" but then I get going and words are there for the world to see.

So those who blog why not do the same? Look back at your first posts and see how far you have come, I think in general you will be surprised at how much you have achieved over time.
So thank you for everyone  from so many places for taking time to read Jollyjillys, it means the world to me.
I hope that like me from my start in 2010 , 2014 is going to be even bigger and better.

More Than Just Friends

When my daughter Natalie turned five, she asked for a party. We had a small house and not much space, but I said ok. I had to limit numbers and then after school one day, she hit me with it!
"Please mummy can I ask Lindsey", flashing those big blue eyes at me. I thought oh no can I squeeze in another child, and also where does she live. That was because I was thinking I would have to walk miles to take her home lol.
Natalie took me to our front window and pointed at a house just across from our house , and told me that she lived there. So along came Lindsey and later that afternoon her mum collected her, we said hello and so on and off she went.
On the school walk the next day Natalie asked if we could walk with Lindsey and her mum, which we did. Not only did the girls become friends but also sue Lindsey's mum and myself.
Sue has four girls and I would consider them all part of my family, they have grown up into lovely people and their children as well.

My youngest God daughter Kimberley

So you can imagine I was very proud to be asked to be Lindsey's little girl Kimberly's godmother.
So the big day arrived and we were up bright and early as my husband was cooking all the food. I had made the cake and it was all ready to go. We had a mad dash to the hall to lay out the food then off to the church.
It was a nice service and soon we were going back for a well earned lunch. Everyone loved my cake so I was pleased as I wanted it to be special.

I think my daughter was having just a bit too much fun on the kiddies play toys lol

So I want to say how nice it was to see all the girls and my best friend and I should finish with a picture of the two who started it all.

Silent Sunday

Clarks Mable Syrup Review and Recipes

Following on from my Cornish Ice cream I have another yummy product to share!
I am worrying about my diet as this is a serious tasty thing to have. So lets start with some facts and also I have some really nice recipes to share with you as well.

Clarks Maple Syrup - Drizzle It, Squeeze It, Mix It, Pour It!

        

Family-runClarks Maple Syrup has a range of delicious syrups to suit all of your culinary and serving needs. From Pure Canadian Maple Syrup, to Original Maple blended with Carob, Clarks - the UK’s best selling Maple Syrup brand - has got it covered.

For dishes that are sure to bring a smile on even the coldest of winter days, look no further then these perfect seasonal recipes, all given an added sparkle with the addition of Clarks Maple Syrup.

Porridge Oats with Maple Syrup

Ingredients per person

40g of Scott’s Porridge Oats

195ml milk or water or half and half

Pinch of salt

Clarks Maple Syrup

Microwave Preparation

·         Mix the water and oats in a suitable jug/bowl and heat on high

·         (Minimum 800W, category E) for 2-1/2 minutes

·         Serve with Clarks Maple Syrup to taste

Traditional Preparation

·         Simply mix the oats and water or milk

·         Stir, bring to the boil and simmer for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally

·         Serve with Clarks Maple Syrup to taste. Enjoy!

Clarks Maple Syrup Roasted Chicken with Glazed Root Vegetables

Serves 4

Roast Chicken

Ingredients

1.4 kg chicken

1 lemon

1 red onion, peeled and halved

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp Clarks Maple Syrup

Preparation:

·         Preheat the oven to 225 C/gas mark 7

·         Place the lemon and onion in the cavity

·         Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season

·         Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes

·         Combine the remaining olive oil with the maple syrup

·         Remove the chicken from the oven and drain and reserve the juices for gravy

·         Brush the chicken liberally with the glaze and roast for a further 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the juices run clear

Roasted root vegetables

Ingredients

Potatoes, peeled and halved

Parsnips, peeled halved

3-4 tbsp Clarks Pure Maple Syrup

2-3 tbsp sunflower oil

Knob of salted butter

Juice of 1 orange

Preparation

·         Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil

·         Add the potatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for a further 3 minutes. Drain

·         Tip the parsnips and potatoes into a large heated roasting tin and coat with the oil and maple syrup ensuring that they’re coated well

·         Roast for 20 -30 minutes until golden

Glazed carrots

Ingredients

Carrots, peeled and cut into batons

Knob of butter

Juice of 1 orange

2 tbsp Clarks Maple Syrup

Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preparation

Steam or boil the carrots until tender

Place the butter, orange juice and maple syrup in a saucepan. Add the cooked carrots and heat until well coated and heated through

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley

Clarks Pure Maple Syrup and Vanilla Cheesecake with Pecan Brittle

Serves 8

Ingredients – biscuit base

175g digestive biscuit crumbs

50g butter, melted

50g pecan nuts, coarsely chopped

1 tsp Clarks Pure Maple Syrup

Ingredients – filling

350g full fat curd cheese

350g fromage frais

150g caster sugar

3 eggs

2 tbsp Clarks Maple Syrup

1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped

To decorate

Pecan nut brittle:

10 pecan nuts

100g caster sugar

Preparation

• Place the crumbs and pecan nuts in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and maple syrup and mix well
• Press the mixture into the base of a 23 cm (9 inch) round spring form baking tin and refrigerate whilst you make the filling
• In a large bowl combine the curd cheese, fromage frais, eggs, maple syrup, caster sugar and vanilla seeds
• Pour over the biscuit base and cook at Gas mark 3/150 C for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow to stand in the cooling oven
• Remove from the oven and run a small palate knife around the cheesecake to loosen but leave to cool completely before turning out

Pecan Brittle

Preparation

• Have a baking sheet lined with non stick silicone paper
• Place the sugar in a frying pan and place over a medium to high heat.
• Let the sugar dissolve and begin to caramelise. Swirl to ensure the caramel colours evenly
• Place the pecan nuts on the baking sheet and pour over the caramel
• Leave to cool completely until hard
• Decorate the cheesecake with the pecan brittle and drizzle liberally with maple syrup

For more information and recipes visit http://www.clarks-uk.co.uk

The full Clarks Maple Syrup range includes:

Clarks Pure Canadian Maple Syrup No 1 Medium Grade

Harvested at the start of the second half of the season and considered by many in Canada to be the crème de la crème of maple syrup, this variant has a strong maple flavour and a rich, dark colour.  Serve it drizzled over desserts or savoury dishes like bacon or sausages. rrp £3.40

Clarks No.2 Amber Maple Syrup

Another pure blend, with a rich colour and deep flavour. Ideal for marinades, baking and dressings, or simply as a healthier alternative to sugar, rrp £2.99

Clarks Original Maple Syrup - the UK’s best selling maple syrup. A blend of pure maple syrup from Quebec and carob fruit from the Mediterranean.  Delicious on pancakes, desserts and also a wonderful recipe ingredient. Carob fruit is a low glycemic ingredient that has 25% less calories than sugar, rrp £1.98

Vanilla Maple Syrup blended with Carob Fruit Syrup

A blend of pure Canadian maple syrup, carob fruit from the Mediterranean and natural vanilla flavouring. This syrup works well for sweet dishes and baking.  Try it mixed in with porridge or on waffles for breakfast - or poured over ice cream for a sweet treat, rrp £2.10

Clarks Maple Syrups are available nationwide from Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys, Morrisons and selected Nisa stores.

So I really hope you will try it out as you can find so many great ideas to use it for. We loved the original and the vanilla but there are other flavours.

Please note I was not paid for this review , only getting a sample of the product.

Kelly's Cornish Ice Cream Review

Lucky me but this week I got to try out some yummy ice from Kelly's. I used to live in Devon but very near to Cornwall and I for one know the ice cream is delicious. I also got some lovely idea on how you could use your ice cream even in the chill of winter, which sound really nice. I think you can always find time for ice cream , winter or summer. I thought I would share them with you and would love to know if you tried them out.

KELLY’S ICE CREAM AUTUMN/WINTER SERVING IDEAS:

Don’t let the cold autumn air put you off your ice cream. Here are some ideas to take the chill out of your ice cream and create delicious desserts perfect for colder days.

1) Hot sauces for ice cream: The simplest hot sauce to make is a melted chocolate sauce. Melt dark chocolate and combine with cream to a make classic chocolate sauce. Allow to cool and pour on the ice cream of your choice – Kelly’s Clotted Cream and Raspberry ice cream with hot dark chocolate sauce is particularly delectable. For a sweeter sauce, melt chocolate bars such as Mars Bars or Fudge Bars instead of dark chocolate. Pour over Kelly’s Clotted Cream ice cream.

2) Hot chocolate with a scoop of Kelly’s Clotted Cream ice cream on top. Or, for grown-ups, a scoop of ice cream covered in a shot of espresso, to recreate the classic Italian dessert Affogato.

3) We have a selection of delicious recipes for hot desserts which go beautifully with ice cream, including toffee apples, rhubarb crumble, treacle tart & bread and butter pudding.

4) Classic baked Alaska: Defying all logic, this 70s favourite is due for a revival. A sponge cake covered in ice cream, which in turn is covered in meringue. And served with a hot sauce. Try vanilla sponge cake covered in Kelly’s Clotted Cream and Golden Syrup ice cream, or a chocolate sponge covered in Kelly’s Clotted Cream and Raspberry ice cream.

I want to try all the above ideas in the next few weeks and when I do I will post and show you. We picked the clotted cream as its my husbands favourite  type of cream. He said it was so creamy and smooth and a joy to eat. I could only have a small portion as I am dieting grrrr but It was so creamy and lovely.
So don't leave ice cream just for summer have it all year round!  In fact guess what we are having after our Christmas dinner this year lol.

Please note I was not paid for this review only receiving a sample of the product

The Gallery: Nature

The theme at the gallery this week is nature. I live in a beautiful place so nature is at my door step everyday. So I have a few random pictures but maybe a little flavour of my world.

Craftsy Review

As you may or may not know I love Craftsy! I love all the classes they offer and the fact you have them forever is wonderful. They are real value for money and they even have many free classes to get you started.  I was not sure at the start as no one likes to part with money for something which is a waste of time. So I took the free class first and loved it. Then I went on to buy about 16 classes so far lol. I have learnt so much from my classes. You can even follow along as the tutor teaches you and pause and do yours then start again. They provide all the classes recipes or instructions as well for you to print out.  So just to fill you in I have some craftsy facts.

What is Craftsy ?
Craftsy is a worldwide craft community offering online classes.  It also has a patterns marketplace where independent designers can sell their patterns; a supplies shop with a great deal on yarn, fabric, and class kits; and a projects section where members share pictures of their craft successes. With over two million members can counting. Craftsy has something for just about everyone, in categories ranging from quilting, sewing, knitting, painting, photography, cooking, and more.

Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Craftsy Class

Before filming even begins, hours and hours are spent determining what content will be covered in each class, and how to best teach specific techniques to camera. Instructors work with an instructional designer to create an in depth outline of each lesson, and decide how to best prepare props or  "step-outs" that show what your projects should like at different steps. Instead of a scripted class, instructors follow their outlines on camera to create an authentic and engaging teaching experience.

Most classes are filmed in one of five Craftsy studio in Denver, CO, assuring that every part of the production process goes off without a hitch. They fly in instructors from all over the world to spend several days filming, then spend several weeks turning hours of footage into a two to three hour class experience that has been watched, re watched, reviewed by industry experts. The final result is an HD-quality video that takes you in-depth into specific topics in any given craft category- from cooking and fine art to sewing and knitting.

What is the Craftsy experience?

Craftsy classes are designed to have all benefits of an in-person class, with none of the drawbacks. Available online and on-demand, you always have world class instructors at the tip of your fingers. You can retake the class as many times as you want, and the 30 second repeat feature allows you to watch the same section over and over again until you get every technique just right.

Watching a Craftsy  class is like having a first-row seat with some of the best instructors in the world. Even better, classes have a 100% money-back guarantee.

Why not try a free class today. There are 23  Free Craftsy Classes ranging from drawing and painting to sewing and quilting, from knitting to cake decorating and more.

So that's a  little information from craftsy itself but I want to add my own finish. I can honestly say I love the classes I have done. I have learnt a huge amount and you can watch and watch again as many times as you like. All from the comfort of your own home with all you things around you. So what have you got to lose try a free class and then like me, more onto the others. Its fun .... go craft today!

Kitchen Adventures part 4

Kitchen update today and things are moving on at a pace now. I do feel sorry for my hubbie as he is doing it himself and there is not much a can do. I can follow him around with a dust pan and brush lol.
All the cupboards are in but not all the doors on as yet or handles. I do have a couple of doors on and drawers. I think its looking great

I still have all the handles to go on but I think you can see its starting to look really great.

We still have to sort out a new oven as if you read earlier posts you will see I had my new one explode lol. We are really hoping to get one before Christmas or it will be take out for dinner lol.

I really love the floor I think the colour is beautiful and matches the worktops really nice. I think it will look modern but warm also. So come back next week and I hope I have tile and handles.

Sorry about the blue bit that's a protective cover to keep the floor clean.
think you get the idea on colour 

Climb blog hop

It is first for me today! I am hosting a blog hop for the first time and I am excited to do so. Its a blog hop I normally take part in so I am pleased to share it with you. Hope you will join in and take part . Go Hop!
   

Now onto the CLIMB (blog hop):

By participating in this blog hop your email address will be added to our CLIMB list & you will be sent an email reminder next month. 

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